Chapter 65: The Pegasus and the Imperial Summons
Auron Blaine, now Count, had swept through the eastern territories of the empire with a massive army, and word of this finally reached the imperial palace.
Communication in this era relied on short-range relays between territories, but with a few mages involved, news could arrive at the palace in under two days without issue. He had crushed the eastern sector so swiftly that the palace hadn't even had time to respond.
The emperor and his ministers were left dumbfounded.
"Your Majesty! We must immediately reclaim the territories Auron Blaine has illegally seized!"
"Indeed. If we let this stand, he'll grow into a formidable power that escapes central control!"
From Great General McCain Duke to the noble faction leader Latos Duke, everyone was wary of Auron. On the surface, Auron Blaine belonged to the emperor's faction, but his occupation of the eastern territories planted seeds of doubt about his true ambitions in the nobles' minds.
The tale of his overwhelming martial prowess dominating the battlefield, combined with the 1.5 million colossi he had taken under the pretext of "enlightenment," was more than enough to heighten their vigilance. It had shattered the eastern empire in one fell swoop.
Even Emperor Kalbun, somewhat inept but not lacking in political acumen, viewed the situation gravely.
"I agree. But he has a solid justification."
"Justification? What justification allows Auron Blaine to commit such atrocities?!"
"The will of the gods."
"......"
The nobles' faces twisted at the emperor's words. Auron's actions screamed of independence. If he declared a kingdom outside the empire's fold, the empire would brand him a traitor, sparking civil war. And if war broke out? The empire would be pushed back relentlessly, potentially leading to vassals declaring their own kingdoms in an unprecedented crisis.
Yet the emperor called it justified, leaving them incredulous.
The emperor was no fan of this either.
"Auron mobilized 50,000 troops and kept another 50,000 in reserve. As a border lord, he's the first to max out his forces without breaching the law. Alarmed, the eastern lords formed an alliance and raised an army. But there's a problem."
"...What problem?"
"Odin's high priest emerged from the eastern alliance."
"...!"
The nobles' eyes widened. Odin's high priest? That meant the eastern empire was practically Odin's lair.
And now evidence surfaced. At the emperor's gesture, guards handed thick stacks of paper to the nobles—petitions proving the eastern lords' exploitation of the populace. There were enough to bind into books.
"The Vivian Church strictly forbids exploiting the people. It's a grave sin that could be deemed heresy. And then a high priest pops up. If we move to subjugate Auron Blaine, we'd have to abandon the state religion."
"Hah."
"Such thorough..."
"Could it be fabricated?"
McCain Duke asked gravely. Designating the Vivian Church as heresy would spark revolts everywhere. He was probing if Auron had faked it all.
"We have 200,000 witnesses. And their forced conscription did exploit the people. No room for doubt."
They fell silent, dumbfounded.
Wars demanded squeezing the populace. Even religion couldn't fully prevent it politically. Accuse them of heresy, and no one was innocent. People feared that.
Auron had become the church's religious leader. That's why the pope had mobilized.
"Thus, Auron claims to 'purify' the east. What can we do?"
"We must summon Count Auron! Secure a firm pledge of no treason!"
The emperor agreed, but even a pledge's longevity was uncertain.
With the eastern territories secured, my domain had fallen into my hands far faster than expected. The locals and soldiers in each territory welcomed the Holy Lord's army. Religion's power was immense. The revelation of Odin's high priest in the alliance alone turned them against their lords. And with their history of exploitation, they fervently embraced our army, led by the church's religious leader and backed by the pope.
We conquered the east in mere weeks after the war began, ballooning my territory nearly fivefold. At this point, declaring a nation wouldn't raise eyebrows.
My forces stood at 200,000. Of course, the 50,000 forcibly conscripted had been sent home, leaving 150,000 maintained.
A bit more buildup, and I could face the empire head-on.
After securing the east, I convened my vassals.
Though we'd claimed it, the situation wasn't ideal.
"My lord, food supplies are critically low."
"We have a million bushels of wheat in storage. Distribute for relief."
"We must plan ahead. Feeding 150,000 troops plus relief efforts won't last months."
Obvious, really. More land and population meant massive consumption. But unavoidable. Our army was branded the Holy Lord's, led by a religious leader—no plundering allowed.
"Hurry preparations for sowing. Not just relief—mobilize every available laborer in the domain."
"Mm, railroads too?"
"Lay tracks, pave roads, refurbish cities. Tend fields and walls. Launch major sanitation drives, build reservoirs and weirs—throw everything at it."
"Whew, understood."
"Execute immediately!"
"Yes!"
The vassals dispersed. Post-war reconstruction was no small task. Commands spread in a day over one territory, but managing 20—including 17 eastern and 3 that surrendered voluntarily—demanded time and patience. Months before stability, probably.
The gods were getting bored.
That was the issue. No way the gods would abandon me now. Our relationship had shifted, perhaps. I planned to leverage them for rapid growth. For that, an incident needed to erupt soon.
'The early game event is due any moment.'
Until now, I'd stirred the pots, but the novel's early major event was imminent. By the timeline, within a week. Buy that much time, and I could satisfy the gods.
Time to prep for the event.
"My lord!"
Lost in thought, Rommel, 1st Knight Division Captain, rushed in. His grim face told me everything.
"Word from the palace?"
"H-how did you know?"
"Obviously. Swallowing the east without them getting wary? That'd be weirder."
"H-how shall we reply?"
"Say I'm going."
"It's a trap!"
"Trap?"
"Ahem."
Rommel cleared his throat under my gaze. He knew I could raze the palace if provoked. Toying with 100,000 foes was child's play; the palace was nothing.
"I'll reply at once."
"Good."
I rose slowly. To handle the early event, what next? I could wipe them now, but something useful would help. First, open one of the random boxes from this haul.
Moonlight bathed the quiet night. With a gamer's resolve to quit if it bombed, I prepared to open the random box. No different from gambling. Could be trash or treasure. Last time was decent. This time?
I cracked it open.
Whoosh! Rainbow light flooded the room. I felt the bored gods tuning in. Even they didn't know what it'd yield from their creation. Decent entertainment.
Bang! Dazzling light, then text appeared.
"Whoa, Pegasus? For real?"
My reverse angel Raena was S-grade. But SS-grade summon dropped right here. And the massive karma only gods going wild could grant. 2 million needed insane feats to earn. Crafting the setup was torture; the frenzy, sweet relief. Just following the plot wouldn't satisfy them. I'd hustled nonstop. That was the meaning of 2 million.
"Pretty impressive, huh?"
Got Pegasus—time to summon.
"Summon Pegasus."
Light gathered before me. Intense holy power coalesced into a pristine white steed. Massive wings on its shoulders proved it no ordinary horse. I had a flying ship, but Pegasus had more style. Plus, as a spirit beast, it innately wielded holy magic, shrugging off most spells. No wonder SS-grade.
"Neigh!"
It neighed at me, eager to fly already?
Light from the lord's castle drew knights. They gawked at the massive beast.
"Gasp! W-what is this?!"
Rommel was most shocked.
"Can't you tell? Pegasus."
"Incredible! Truly blessed by the gods to receive such a spirit beast."
"Ahem, I did suffer for it."
"Jealous."
"Wanna ride?"
"Really?!"
Rommel scrambled up. Giving him the beast? An experiment. Could it carry non-owners?
Splat!
"Kek!"
Pegasus kicked him off with hind legs and bolted.
"Puhahaha! Spirit beasts gonna spirit beast!"
No riders but the owner. Though I could carry someone if I rode first. At least no theft worries.